


A Heavy Heart

by wujinxian



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, F/M, Identity Reveal, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-17
Updated: 2016-03-17
Packaged: 2018-05-27 05:40:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6271963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wujinxian/pseuds/wujinxian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the cat gives up chasing the bug, the bug starts chasing him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Heavy Heart

**Author's Note:**

> This took forever to write and I'm not wholly satisfied with it but I wanted to post it anyways. Trying to crank out as many ML fanfics as I can during this week off so I can study without all these at the back of my mind.
> 
> Another attempt at angst and my first attempt at an action sequence. Urgh. Criticism is greatly appreciated! (^_^;;)

"Hey, Marinette?" a voice called to her, breaking her reverie. She recognized the voice as Adrien's and responded without looking up the design she was drawing in her notebook. "I was wondering if you'd like to go to the movies with me this weekend or maybe just hang out...?" 

She glanced up at the boy and realized that he looked uncharacteristically nervous. Her head tilted, seemingly of its own accord, as she pondered his actions. A blush spread across his face as he awkwardly scratched his neck. It was a pose she knew all too well, one she couldn't quite place. She shrugged, resolving to figure it out at a later date and went back to work on her sketch.

"Just you and me?" she asked absently. She finished drawing the two models and pondered adding a background. 'It does seem a bit empty,' she concluded and started to fill in the negative space. 

"Yea, looks like Nino and Alya already made plans or something," Adrien's voice trailed off again. A hint of sadness in his voice caught Marinette's attention and she looked at him again. Seeing his disheartened face made her realize how inconsiderate she was being towards him and she mentally kicked herself. 

"Of course, Adrien. I'd love that," she said with a large smile and focused on him. His face broke out with happiness. They made plans to meet for the movie the next day and returned to their respective tasks. 

Alya and Nino, both red-faced, entered the classroom right as the bell rang and took their seats. Alya scooted close to Marinette and gave her an expectant grin. 

"What?" Marinette asked her friend. 'What is with everyone today?' 

"So, what happened between you and Adrien?" Alya waggled her eyebrows suggestively. 

"Um... he asked me out... and I said yes? We have plans to go see a movie tomorrow." She focused again on her sketch. 

"You finally get a date with Adrien Agreste and you're... not freaking out?" she gave her an inquisitive look. Marinette mentally cursed, realizing she hadn't told Alya about her change in interest, even though it was fairly recent change.

"Can we talk about this later?" Marinette hissed, glancing at Adrien. She hoped he hadn't heard their exchange. Alya shrugged and everyone turned their attention towards the front of the classroom. Marinette glanced back down in her sketchpad and sighed quietly. 

The two figures in her notebook jumped from rooftop to rooftop. Normally, Chat chased Ladybug but something had changed recently. Marinette could feel it every time they were together. He wasn't as flirtatious, he seemed more distant. She didn't know what it was but she missed the old Chat. In her desire to bring back her old friend, she drew them laughing together, just like before, except this time it was the bug chasing the cat. 

———————————————

Marinette covered her ears as Alya yelled. She prayed her parents would ignore the strange noises her friend was making. And that Alya would stop making those sounds. Soon.

"What do you mean you don't like Adrien anymore? After he finally likes you back, you've moved on?" She angrily stuffed another bite of her sandwich in her mouth. 

"I like him, I just have a crush on someone else," Marinette said somewhat shyly. She pushed her peas around on her plate and tried to look anywhere except at Alya. 

"Well, if you don't like Adrien, who do you like? Nathanael?" Relieved that food seemed to make Alya calm down, Marinette pushed the plate of croissants between them closer to her. 

"No, sweet as he is," Marinette hesitated. She debated with herself internally. Alya stared at her patiently and Marinette gave a heavy sigh. She knew she couldn't keep it a secret from her reporter friend. "I think I like Chat Noir..."

"What?! Have you even met him?"

"I have," she said defensively. "He actually saved me from Nathanael when he got turned into the Evillustrator. I know he'll probably never like me back and that it's pointless and I should just go back to liking Adrien but I can't." Marinette rambled, trying to justify unjustifiable feelings. 

"Girl, you got it bad," Alya finally said. "You just have to like guys that are completely out of reach, don't you?"

"Just finish your lunch so we can go back to school."

———————————————

The breeze danced through Marinette's hair. It passed over every inch of her body, clad in its skintight suit. She smiled appreciatively down at her beautiful city, surrounded by night and stars. She laughed to herself: how strange that she would feel more at home on a rooftop in Paris than in her own bed.

"Something funny, LB?" asked a gentle voice, whose owner settled next to her with an even gentler landing. She glanced at her partner and felt her heart beat a bit faster. 

"I was just thinking about how when I was chosen for this, I was so sure my kwami got it wrong. Me, Ladybug," she scoffed. "And yet, here we are. We've saved Paris multiple times and this view-," she spread her arms out indicating the skyline around her, "-is something I look forward to seeing every day. And my feline partner of course." A blush spread across her cheeks as the words left her lips. She was grateful for the cover of the night and the confidence of her mask. 

Chat Noir shifted his attention to the scenery around them. The Seine flowed and caught the lights of every building it passed. The Eiffel Tower stood majestically on the other side. Paris was peaceful – no akumas threatened the destruction of its historic landmarks and it seemed like even all the cars in the city had gone to bed. Even though the city was quiet, Marinette's heart was not. 

"Do you see those three stars? The ones in a straight line right over there?" Chat asked her as he scooted slightly closer to her and pointed towards the three twinkling lights. "Many of us recognize those stars as Orion's belt. My mother saw then as Shen."

"Like the Chinese myth?"

'Yea," Chat grew thoughtful. "She liked to tell me the story of the two brothers and how they fought all the time. They fought so much that their father separated them so they would never see each other. I'm not sure why she liked to tell me that story." The boy sighed sadly and Marinette fought the urge to comfort him. 

"When my mom left, these stars were my comfort. I kept wondering what I did to make her leave. Did she love me? Then I met my kwami. I still doubt myself all the time, but I know I'm good enough for him. And I couldn't ask for a better partner," he smiled at her and her heart felt full. She embraced him, holding on like she never wanted to let go.

"You're being pawfully affectionate today," he commented. She pulled away from him and pouted.

"You're the one who hasn't been affectionate at all. Normally, you're all: my lady this, my lady that, flirt, tease, flirt, pun. And now? I'm lucky if you stick around long enough to have a conversation." Chat tucked his arm awkwardly behind his neck and looked pensive. Marinette crossed her arms, waiting impatiently for a response.

"Well... You see...," he hesitated. "Ladybug, I've moved on. I still like you but lately, I've been talking to this girl in one of my classes and, well, we're going on a date soon. I like her a lot. It wouldn't be fair to her if I kept flirting with you." Marinette felt her heart stop. The seconds slowed and the words he said were no longer processing through her brain. The darkness around her intensified and it had nothing to do with the night sky. 

"I see," she said. If she was standing, she was sure she would have fallen to her knees. She finally likes him back and this happens?

"I've always liked her. I just liked you more. And now well..."

"I understand. Feelings change, it's alright, Chat. I've liked the same guy for a long time, too, and now I like you. I guess even ladybugs can run out of luck," she forced herself to laugh through the tightening of her throat and the stinging of her tears. She could feel his gaze on her. She took a deep breath and fixed a bright smile on her face. "Well, I think it's time for me to go. I'm going out with my friend tomorrow and I don't want to fall asleep during the movie!"

She flicked her wrist and swung away from him with her yo-yo. 

———————————————

Marinette quickly stifled the yawn that escaped her lips. She barely remembered slipping back into her room, transforming back, and falling asleep. She had woken up to a wet pillow and dry eyes. Her mother's pacing and worried glances only stressed her out more. 

"Maman," Marinette groaned. "Please, stop." She was sitting at the sole table in the bakery waiting for Adrien to pick her up. When her mother finally went into the back part of the bakery, she buried her face in her arms. She was really not in the mood to see this movie, but she didn't have Adrien's number to tell him so. And she still felt bad about practically ignoring the poor guy when he asked her out. 

The sound of the store bells jingling made her look up. Adrien stood there, perfect as ever, wearing the scarf she made for him. He saw her and concern instantly covered his face.

"Marinette, what's wrong? Did something happen?" He rushed over to the table and took her hands into his. 

"I'm fine, why?" She internally panicked - she thought she put enough makeup on to cover up her splotchy face. 

"Your eyes are all red..."

"Ahaha, must be allergies..." She withdrew her hands and rubbed her eyes. She shouldn't be like this right now. Forcing a smile on her face, she led him out the door. 

———————————————

"What movie are we watching?" Marinette asked, staring at the film listing. None of the names caught her attention nor interest. 

"I was thinking of this one," Adrien said as he leaned against her to point at The Princess Bride. 

"Really? They're showing that?"

"It's the anniversary of the release or something like that. And I've never seen it. I thought it would be fun to watch."

"You've never seen The Princess Bride?" she gasped. "Then what are we waiting for?" They quickly bought their tickets and were about to step into the cinema when an inhuman roar resounded. The ground shook beneath them and Adrien quickly pulled Marinette to her feet before she could fall. 

"Get somewhere safe," he commanded and ran out into the street. She called after him, fear gripping her heart.

"Not now, Marinette," Tikki said as she poked her head out of her bag. Marinette nodded in response and ran down the street in the opposite direction of Adrien. When the coast was clear, she allowed herself to transform. 

The smell of movie popcorn filled the air. She ran back to the cinema, the only logical source. 

"My snacks aren't good enough for you?" shrieked the akuma. It looked almost like a clown and threw various movie snacks through the air: popcorn, ice cream, candy. Marinette ducked and dodged as she tried to get closer. 

"Did your date get interrupted, LB?" a voice near her asked. 

"I don't know if I would call it a date, Chat. But if it was with you, it would be," she gave him a half-hearted wink. He suddenly ran towards her and they landed with a thump a few meters away. Marinette saw an ice cream cone land approximately where they had been standing. 

"Careful you don't get creamed, Bug," Chat said and pulled her to her feet. "Looks like we're caught in a stalemate right now." 

She rolled her eyes but her heart was pleased to hear his puns. Focusing on the akuma, she searched for the object that could be the source of its power. It was surrounded by a concession stand where it floated in the air. 

"Chat, the nametag," she said and shot off towards the villain. Jumping to and from the snack food projectiles, the pair raced towards their goal. Chat reached the counter first and tried to distract the Snack Server as Marinette maneuvered towards the hindside of the akuma. She was running towards it at full force, already planning her hop on its shoulder and her descent as she pulled the nametag off. She could almost hear the satisfying snap as she imagined breaking the object in half to free the akumatized butterfly. 

But it never happened because midleap the creature turned around, screeching, "I see you! Thief!" 

Marinette barely had time to react as it reached out to hit her. The impact forced all the air out of her lungs and she heard Chat's desperate cry of her name. Attempting to keep her focus and draw another breath, she steered her landing towards an ice cream cone lying in the street and hoped it would be a soft one.

For what seemed like an eternity, all she could see was black and all she could hear was the ringing in her ears. Slowly, she came to, Tikki's voice calling her civilian name the first thing she heard. 

"Ladybug, Ladybug," was the next thing she heard. She felt herself being picked up by gentle arms and opened her eyes. Her vision hadn't quite cleared yet but she saw Chat's blurred outline.

"Chat," she responded weakly and he relaxed. 

"What do we do now?" he asked, relief and anger seeping equally into his voice. Pushing herself up, she called upon her Lucky Charm. 

"A nametag?" they said in unison. 

"Maybe this one is more straightforward than usual," she pondered. "Hey, your popcorn's stale and I have your nametag!"

The akuma angrily faced the two superheroes and started running through the air towards them. 

"Chat, grab the nametag when it gets close enough. I'm counting on you." Marinette ran, leading the Snack Server chasing after her. She ignored Chat's protests and the limp she knew she had. 

With yet another inhuman screech from the monster chasing her, she knew that Chat fulfilled his duties. A black butterfly flew past her head and, still running, she threw her bandalore towards it and it opened like a compact, capturing the butterfly. 

"No more evil doing for you, little akuma! Time to de-evilize!" The now white butterfly was released and flew off to wherever it came from. Marinette winded up for her final move to clean up the city but was barreled by the akuma. 

She pushed herself up and found herself few meters away from where she last remembered being. She gasped at all the new pains that coursed through her body. 

"Miraculous Ladybug!" she forced herself to say. Seeing the tiny bugs flying through the city righting everything that had been wronged relieved her and she finally allowed herself to collapse on the pavement. The creature that had been chasing her disappeared, leaving a disheveled looking cinema employee in its place. 

"Ladybug!" Chat yelled and swooped down next to her. He pulled her into his arms and she winced. Hopefully, whatever that was was just sprained or bruised. 

"Hey, kitty," she whispered. "You look handsome as always."

"What were you thinking? What if something happened to you? We're supposed to be a team, remember?" She could sense that he wanted to continue his tirade, but the frantic beeping of her miraculous interrupted him. 

"We've got to get you out of here." He hastily looked around. She saw the pieces click in his head as he spotted a suitable destination. Hoisting her onto his back, he pole vaulted over to a nearby roof. She was grateful as he gently sat up her against a chimney. 

"That was reckless, LB, and you know it," he said and turned around, waiting for the timer on her miraculous to run out. He tossed a small treat over his shoulder to the girl. "For your kwami. You need to transform back so I check the damage."

Marinette obliged and after two flashes of pink Chat approached her. He gently pushed along various parts of her body and gauged her discomfort from her facial expression. 

"Nothing broken, but it looks like you sprained your ankle and have some pretty bad bruising on your ribs. And these cuts all over your face." He held her face in his hands, worry written all over his own. "What were you thinking, LB?"

"You're going to leave me. I need to learn how to deal with them on my own."

"What?"

"What kind of girl would be okay with her boyfriend sneaking around with another one?"

"I'm not going to leave you, Bug. No girl is worth giving you up. You're my partner, my best friend. If she can't accept that I have to see you sometimes, then she's not the one for me."

"Really?"

"Really. I'm not going anywhere."

"Good." Those must have been the words she was waiting to hear because she allowed herself to smile for what felt like the first time that day. Her heart, though still in turmoil about her romantic feelings, was at peace. She felt the most relaxed at that moment than she had felt in days. 

"Thank you, Chat," she said and promptly fell asleep.

———————————————

"Oh, my God! Adrien!" she sat up with a start. Glancing around, she realized she was still on the rooftop and still in her suit. Chat Noir was nowhere to be found but a folded note was.

'You looked like you could use the sleep so I left you. See you on patrol soon. ~ Chat'

She could think about Chat later. Poor Adrien must be worried out of his mind. She scaled carefully down the building and transformed back. Her phone instantly started buzzing. There were tons of notifications from Alya and her mom and even some from an unknown number. A quick look over told her that the unknown number was Adrien and all three people were wondering where on Earth she was. She texted them all that she was heading back to the bakery and to meet her there if they wanted. 

She mentally prepared herself for the barrage of questions awaiting her. And poor Adrien. He was so looking forward to their movie and this is what happens. How could she explain it away? She was waiting for the akuma attack to be over and fell asleep? That did seemed completely in character.

She entered the bakery, bracing herself like it was judgment day. The three judges were all waiting for her with their arms crossed. And her father. She didn't know who she feared more in that moment.

"Hey," she said with an awkward laugh. She immediately regretted it. Each person in the room looked personally offended, it was like she had killed their pet puppy or something. 

"Hey?" they chorused followed by a cacophony of words. Her mother's words had bits and pieces of Chinese while Alya and Adrien expressed their worry and exasperation at being unable to contact her. Her father didn't seem to know what to say. 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I took cover when the akuma attacked and I guess I fell asleep waiting for it to be over? All those late nights must have finally caught up with me," she chuckled in an attempt to be lighthearted. She decided it was best to apologize to each person in turn.

"Adrien, I'm really sorry about worrying you and blowing you off during the movie. I just-," she took a step towards him, forgetting about her sprained ankle. She cursed her clumsy self as she stuck her arms out to catch her fall when she was saved by a different pair instead. 

"Your ankle," Adrien said and she looked up at him. 

"Oh, yea, I must've slept on it weird," she tried to brush it off. His arms were still around her and a distant look was on his face. She called his name gently, confusion on her lips.

"Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng, Alya, could you give us a moment? Just let me take her upstairs to her room." The parties nodded, noticing the sudden change in his demeanor. Marinette tried to walk normally but Adrien refused to let her. He supported her the whole way upstairs.

"Adrien?" she asked again. Ignoring her, he sat her down in one of her chairs and examined her face. He hadn't turned the lights on so she wasn't sure what he could see or what he was looking for. 

"It can't be," she heard him say. "Could it?" 

"Adrien, you're making me nervous," she hesitated. Adrien's attention returned to her and he gazed into her eyes.

"Marinette, does this hurt?" he questioned. He reached towards her and pressed a spot on her ribs. She sucked in a deep breath. That was one of the more tender bruises. 

"Ladybug?"

She froze. 

"Excuse me?"

"There are three stars on Orion's belt. My mother saw then as Shen. She liked to tell me the story of the two brothers and how they fought all the time."

"They fought so much that their father separated them so they would never see each other," Marinette finished for him. "Chat."

"Ladybug." The two teenagers hugged in the dark.

"What were you thinking? I could've lost you."

"I thought I was going to lose you..."

"Lose me to you?" They laughed at each other. There were so many misunderstandings that could have been resolved if they knew who each other was. And now they knew. 

"My Lady."

"Chaton."

"Anytime you two are done being alone, Marinette still needs a good lecture!" Alya's voice sounded from downstairs. They laughed again and Adrien went to tell them all to come up. 

And finally, Marinette's heart was light.


End file.
